The door appears to open by pressing a stone just to its left. Uhe can find nothing else unusual or dangerous about it.
Reveka followed her companions back into the previous chamber with the blue mosaic dragons and came to stand just behind Little Liam (keeping her feet on the blue tiled front legs of the dragon mosaic). She watched curiously as Uhe pressed the stone to the left of the secret door.
She quietly inquired of her dwarven companion, "Anything noteworthy inside there, dear Uhe? If not, where else can we investigate?"
Reveka, even with her restricted vision, continued to glance around the chamber, attempting to keep an eye out as her friends worked at/studied other things.
Only one way to found out, my dear!
Uhe enters the secret door....
The door rumbles aside and reveals a round chamber at the center of which is a spiral staircase, leading down.
Uhe begins humming as he descends...
Dow, down, down in a burning pit of fire....
Reveka watched as Uhe entered through the secret door, and, not wishing to leave him on his own, followed after him. Seeing another set of spiral stairs heading downward, she listened as Uhe began singing a rather ominous song and then stepped on the first rung and began to carefully/steadily descend after him. She tried to listen, passed her companion's song, to any sounds coming from below.
Spiral stairs ascend from the eastern side of this empty room. On the wall opposite the stairs, a large white slab of stone with a keyhole in it has been fitted into an archway, blocking passage entirely.
Looking at the keyhole in the white slab stone and back at the others, Reveka quietly asked, "Do you think the key Mistress Bassy gave us would fit this keyhole, too?"
Liam follows after Reveka & Uhe, randomly observing and listening to Reveka's whispered question.
"Makes sense. Let's try it."
Brandor casts guidance on Reveka (or whoever tries the key in the lot).
Brandor suddenly realizes he has the key, and searches his pack for it. Pulling it out, he says "Shall I give it a try?"
"Let me try the key. You are our main healer and it would not do if something happened to you, Brandor. Please stand back a little, everyone," as Reveka took possession of the key from the dwarven cleric and then waited until the others moved back away from her.
Firstly Reveka examined the white slab of stone for any signs of trap, and if she was relatively assured there was no immediate threat/danger, Reveka carefully/steadily tried the key in the lock.
Brandor nods, and hands over the key. "Thanks, I got your back."
Uhe follows Reveka's lead. The dwarven scholar peering at everything like a kid at Toy R Us!
Just before she set the key to lock, Edo stepped forward and offered to see if it would unlock this section of the chamber. Her silvery-grey eyes framed with a thin opaque membrane studied him for a moment before she spoke, "That is noble of you, Edo. Please do be careful," and with the final warning, Reveka handed the key to the fighter and moved back a little, to stand beside the Uhe and the others.
The ancient key causes a seam to appear in the block of stone, dividing it in half. Both halves slide aside, revealing a arched doorway into a new and larger room.
This huge, elegant domed chamber houses a single marble sarcophagus at its western end. A mosaic of a black dragon decorates the floor. The ceiling is covered by a vibrant fresco of armored soldiers fighting a host of dragons, with a blonde woman of noble mien at the center, rallying the troops with her sword. In circular alcoves to the north and south stand life-sized statues of this woman, standing in a pose of triumph over the head of a defeated dragon.
Reveka stood waiting cautiously as the stone divided in half and then slid aside. Peering into the new chamber, she noted the dragon mosaic (this time a black dragon) on the floor and thought Not another dragon mosaic to be mindful of. Taking the chance to get closer and see the details (which was hard to do with her limited sight and her current position near the secret door entrance), Reveka stated "I'd like to go inside for a better look," and then moved inside; coming to stand upon the tile near the top of the dragon's tail. She peered at the mosaic pattern, hoping to spy any sign of trouble/threat.
"My dear Uhe, do you think you can determine if this mosaic is safe for us to walk upon?"
As she waited for the dwarven scholar to examine and make his recommendation, Reveka turned her gaze to the various statues of the blonde noble mien; admiring their heroic poses.
Liam joins Reveka in the room, moving the dancing lights to accompany the lead element of the party. He also looks around at the wondrous sights, struggling to focus on looking for danger rather than gawking.
Uhe stands in the now opened secret doorway, his mouth hanging open.
Truly amazing!
The dwarf then startled nods to Reveka and follows her.
Brandor looks around as well, curious to see what it looks like.
A hush falls over the room, the echoes of your footfalls dying away into silence. A woman's voice calls out in a ghostly whisper.
“And who comes hither? I see a new generation of dragonslayers come to gather my treasure. It is so."
"Know then that a dreadful doom has fallen upon these things I used in life, that they may not be wielded in peace save by the working of that doom. Ere you lay mortal hands upon these my heirlooms, seek ye first the shade of him who I called husband. Arturic, once a brave and good man, fallen in his final years."
"His unquiet shade lingers in these halls, unwilling to depart for the guilt he felt in life for the part he played in my death. Vanquish the shade and bring hither his wedding band. Then shall the doom be full wrought and you may depart with my war gear and my blessing."
Uhe bows low to the voice, retreats backs upstairs and to the spiral staircase where those fire asshats were.
How we are handling them?
(although I do like the ready aggression!)
Lima follows Uhe down past the guardian azers to see what may lie at the bottom of the spiral staircase.
Reveka followed Uhe back to the previous staircase that housed the guardian azers below.
"How we are handling them?"
"Tula said that Arturis' shade was lingering in the halls. I do not think he is down there with the azers. How do we find this shade to vanquish it and take possession of the ring?"
Reveka then silently wondered if taking the antique prayer book from Aroden's altar was a good thing based on the disembodied warning they had just received. I just wanted to read and learn from it. She, too, wondered if Arturis' shade would wish her harm for doing so.
[ooc]I don't think we need to do anything with them, at least not yet. If I read the GM correctly, he said the stairs still spiraled down another level past the, "fire asshats."
This is correct.
You descend past the crypt with the azers into the lowest level of the tomb. A layer of brackish water covers the floor of this chamber,
filling the air with the scent of minerals. A large locked door stands on the western wall. Strange muttering and moaning can be heard from that direction!
"Bassy's ... err... Tula's key. Brandor, you're up."
Liam reads off one of his, protection from evil, scrolls; bestowing the benefits upon Edo.
"Edo, this will help protect you against the spirit of Arturic. It does not make you immune, but affords some magical interference against attacks of various kinds."
Uhe begins to quickly take bets.
Odds for him exploding are 3:1. Odds for him to melt into a pool of grossness are 3:2.
The muttering and moaning sounds coming from beyond the large, locked door made Reveka feel uneasy and she stayed back, beside Uhe as Edo stepped forward to unlock the door. The water around her booted heels made her nose wrinkle - there was naught she could do about it.
She kept her wits about her and continued to remain cautious and ready for anything that might come through the door once it was opened.
The door seem heavy, but untrapped.
You open the door, revealing a large chamber with four side chambers. Nearly freezing water floods the floor of this long, oval chamber to a depth of one foot. A single stone sarcophagus, its lid carved to resemble a handsome human aristocrat, sits at the western end of the room. Four circular alcoves open into the room at the western end as well, each of which contains a less ornate stone sarcophagus.
Frowning just a bit, Uhe pays out the bets that were laid. The dwarf then peers into the chamber to witness the wet and wild time awaiting them inside.
I feel like we are intruding.
Uhe casts Feather Step.
The dwarf then casts Detect Magic to scan the chamber prior to entering.
The scholar pays special attention to the single stone sarcophagus, its lid carved to resemble a handsome human aristocrat.
If you're entering the room, move your token.
Brandor moves just inside, staying fairly close to the door and letting the others in to take a look.
Then he also casts detect magic to start scanning the area around him.
Liam moves inside opposite Brandor, guiding his dancing lights into the room as well.
"Hmm... Most of these chambers have had two or three alcoves, this is the first with four."
Your detect magic spells reveal some moderate auras of abjuration and transmutation in the main sarcophagus.
A few seconds after you enter the room, you hear the grinding of stone on stone as one of the sarcophagus lids in a side chamber is pushed aside. The corpse of an ancient woman climbs out, shambling forward, its hands outstretched.
STATUS
Liam
Jayla
Uhe
Reveka
Maffei
Brandor
Edo
Creature
Liam recoils a bit, "Gah! Back to rest, you!"
He goes through the motions and casts a cantrip, disrupt undead, and a yellowish ray sprouts from his fingers at the assumed undead creature.
He exits the room to keep safe and allow others to engage.
Brandor immediately casts consecrate on the area (noted by circle).
This spell blesses an area with positive energy. The DC to resist positive channeled energy within this area gains a +3 sacred bonus. Every undead creature entering a consecrated area suffers minor disruption, suffering a –1 penalty on attack rolls, damage rolls, and saves. Undead cannot be created within or summoned into a consecrated area. If the consecrated area contains an altar, shrine, or other permanent fixture dedicated to your deity, pantheon, or aligned higher power, the modifiers given above are doubled (+6 sacred bonus to positive channeled energy DCs, –2 penalties for undead in the area).
You cannot consecrate an area with a similar fixture of a deity other than your own patron. Instead, the consecrate spell curses the area, cutting off its connection with the associated deity or power. This secondary function, if used, does not also grant the bonuses and penalties relating to undead, as given above.
Shaking his head at the excitedness of others, the dwarven scholar walks into the chamber after them. Looking at the approaching monstrosity, Uhe coughs a I told ye so!, before enacting his Performance.
Have at it gang! Magic weapons will hurt it better, so I am taking liberties.
Maffei the shade moves up to face the creature, her silvery blades glinting in the firelight. "Deal with me before you deal with them, demon!"
STATUS
All: Arcane Strike
Liam
Jayla
Uhe
Reveka
Maffei
Brandor
Edo
Creature - 2 damage (–1 penalty on attack rolls, damage rolls, and saves)
It's a Wight! Try not to let it grope you!
Calling upon the Mother of Souls, Reveka began to cast, laying her hand against her side. A shimmering magical field appeared and surrounded her form before disappearing to the naked eye; yet she could feel its tingling security. Then drawing her fine light mace, Reveka moved deeper into the other room for she could see nothing from her vantage.
Anyone, give me orders for Jayla and Edo.